William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet Important Terms
Born April 23, 1564 Stratford upon Avon Third of 8 children Parents were John and Mary No school record
Much of Shakespeare s younger years remain a mystery, but there are rumors about what jobs he may have worked. Schoolmaster Lawyer Butcher Apprentice Lawyer
Married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 (she was 26) Together they had three kids : Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet (Hamnet died at age 11)
In 1592, Shakespeare began developing a reputation as an actor and playwright. As theatres were beginning to grow in popularity, it is probable that Shakespeare began earning a living writing plays (adapting old ones and working with others on new ones).
In 1598, Shakespeare, in collaboration with other actors, designed and built The Globe. This circular theatre was the first of its kind, breaking away from the traditional rectangular theatres.
The Globe Theatre Most famous playhouse of all time Built in 1599 No scenery, just elaborate props and costumes (trap doors and scaffolds were used to make gods and witches disappear) Shows lasted 2.5 hours All social classes attended The wealthy got benches and the poor stood or watched from the back NO female actors on stage (all parts played by men or young boys) Burned down during a performance
1599-1613 The First Globe Theatre
Was an actor and writer 38 plays 154 sonnets Died April 23, 1616 on his birthday
Dramatic Terminology Tragedy: A narrative about serious and important actions that end unhappily, usually with the death of the main characters. A tragic hero: by Aristotle's definition, a man who is neither completely evil nor good, but somewhere in between. The audience will usually identify or sympathize with the tragic hero, instinctively. This character has a tragic flaw. (often takes the form of a metaphorical blindness or madness. Dies in the end.
The Top 10 Signs You re Reading a Shakespearean Tragedy: 10. There is a tragic hero (or an exceptional being) who has a tragic flaw. 9. The external conflict is between two groups, one of which the hero belongs. 8. The internal conflict within the tragic hero is of the human spirit [i.e. good versus evil, desire versus doubt]. 7. The misfortunes of the tragedy are caused by the actions of the people. 6. Chance/Fortune/Fate plays a hand in the action of the tragedy. 5. There is a sense of urgency within the plot that drives the tragic hero to act (sometimes impulsively). 4. The tragic hero is responsible for the ultimate catastrophe. 3. Before the downfall, the tragic hero displays courage or nobility, which makes the reader recognize his/her potential for greatness. 2. The tragic hero s fate affects the wellbeing of the whole nation or empire of the story. ***And the NUMBER 1 sign you may be reading 1. The tragic hero dies in the end.
The play is broken up into acts and the acts are broken up into scenes. Prologue: A brief opening of a play spoken by the chorus that settles the audience and previews the plot. Monologue: A long uninterrupted speech given by one character onstage to everyone. Soliloquy: A long uninterrupted speech given by one character alone on stage, inaudible to other characters Aside: A short speech given by one character, traditionally the other characters cannot hear. Comic Relief: The inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension In R & J, look for moments of comic relief that help relieve the tragedy of the situation Ex: The musicians making puns with Peter after Juliet is found dead.
Pun: A humorous play on words After that poisonous snake struck at me in the Arizona Desert I was really rattled. A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor. A carpenter must have been here. I saw dust. Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery. Corduroy pillows are making headlines. The executioner decided to drop out of Executioner School. It was just too cut throat for him. He who farts in church sits in his own pew. Did you hear about the sleeping man who got run over by a car? He was tired and exhausted!
Foreshadowing: a literary device in which an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story Simile: a figure of speech that makes a comparison between 2 unlike things, using a word such as like, as Ex. She floated in like a cloud on a breezy day. Metaphor: a figure of speech that makes a comparison between 2 unlike things without the use of specific words of comparison such as like or as Ex: The book was a passport to adventure. Oxymoron: a figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase Ex: sweet sorrow loud silence jumbo shrimp Dramatic Irony: when the audience knows something the characters do not know Ex: We know the killer is in the closet, but the soon-to-be victim does not.
Motif: a recurrent thematic element in a literary or artistic work Motifs in Romeo and Juliet are: 1. opposites, contradictions, and opposing pairs 2. light and dark imagery / day and night 3. time Foil character: a character that contrasts the personality traits of another character, usually opposites. Hyperbole: an exaggeration or overstatement used for effect Ex: My backpack weighs a ton!
Shakespeare s 5 Part Storytelling Pattern: Act III: Crisis/Turning Point A series of complications Act II: Rising Action A series of complications Act IV: Falling Action Results of the turning point; characters locked into deeper disaster Act I: Introduction Establishes setting, characters, conflict, and background Act V: Climax/Resolution/Denouement Death of the main characters and then the loose parts of the plot are tied up
Romeo and Juliet
Two households
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny
A Family Feud: Capulets vs Montagues Setting: Verona, Italy Late 1500 s
Romeo - Is a Montague - 18 years old - Cute, smart, sensitive - Impulsive and immature - Romantic heart - He doesn t care about the feud
Lady Montague Romeo s Mom Dies of grief for love of her son
Lord Montague Romeo s dad Worries about Romeo s sadness Patriarch (head man) of the Montagues Loves his son
Balthasar Romeo s servant He goes to tell Romeo that Juliet is dead (he doesn t know that it is a fake death)
Abraham or Abram Lord Montague s servant Fights Sampson and Gregory in the beginning
Benvolio Romeo s cousin & friend Tries to break-up fights. Keep the peace. Counsels Romeo about love and make him feel better.
Mercutio Related to the prince Good friends W/ Romeo Bad temper Doesn t like emotional people Believes love is about the physical contact and nothing else.
Juliet -is a Capulet, 13 yrs old Begins as a naïve child, She doesn t have as much freedom as Romeo b/c she is a girl SO she sneaks around to see Romeo She totally trusts Romeo Juliet is very close with the nurse.
Lady Capulet Juliet s mom Ineffectual mother- relies on the nurse to mother Juliet She married young, had Juliet around age 14, and is eager for her to marry Paris
Lord Capulet Juliet s dad He truly loves Juliet, but does not know her feelings and dreams Bad temper when things don t go his way He commands respect and propriety Patriarch of the Capulets
Nurse Has cared for Juliet since she was born Vulgar, long-winded, loyal and a confidante to Juliet At end though, they have a falling-out over Romeo
Gregory & Sampson Servants to the Capulets Start a fight w/ Montagues at the beginning of the play
Tybalt Juliet s cousin Vain, fashionable, very into proper etiquette, prideful He is well-trained in sword fighting and someone to fear He loathes Montagues Cat
Paris Related to the prince Preferred by the Capulets to marry Juliet He treats Juliet inappropriately after Capulet says he can marry her.
The woman who Romeo is obsessed with at the beginning of the play. Rosaline
The Apothecary a pharmacist He sells the poison to Romeo. Values money more than morals
Friar Lawrence Friend to Romeo and Juliet Kind, civic-minded Secretly marries R & J in hopes that their marriage will end the feud. He is a Catholic holy man and also familiar with potions and herbs.
Friar John A Catholic holy man asked to tell Romeo about Juliet's false death. He is held up in a quarantined house and so never gets the message to Romeo.
Capulets throw a party. Romeo wants to go to the party to see Rosalind, a girl he likes, but his family is not invited. He dresses in costume and sneaks in!
Falling in Love <3 At the party Romeo sees a girl, Juliet, and falls instantly in love. He finds out she is a Capulet. Juliet sees Romeo and falls in love with him too, but she does not know he is part of the Montague family. She finds out later that he is. Juliet goes out onto her balcony to tell the stars about her love for Romeo. Romeo hears her and tells her he feels the same way.
A Secret Marriage The next day, Romeo and Juliet are married secretly by Romeo s friend, Friar Lawrence.
A Fight The same day Romeo and Juliet are married, there is a fight between Juliet s cousin Tybalt and Romeo s cousin Benvolio and best friend Mercutio. Tybalt is angry that Romeo came to the Capulet party. Romeo shows up to the fight. He doesn t want to fight Tybalt, because he is married to Juliet, but he cannot tell anyone. Romeo s cousin and friend do not understand why Romeo will not fight. Mercutio fights Tybalt instead. Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo is furious and kills Tybalt.
A Banishment The Prince of Verona tells Romeo that he must leave the city and never come back. Juliet is very sad that Romeo is gone.
A Match-Making Father Juliet s father, who doesn t know that Juliet is already married to Romeo, decides to marry her to a man named Count Paris.
A Desparate Plan Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence for help. He gives her a potion to drink that will make her look dead, even though she will really be just sleeping. The Friar says he will tell Romeo to come get her from the family tomb.
Some Deadly Gossip Before the Friar can tell Romeo that Juliet is not really dead, Romeo gets a message from a friend that Juliet is dead in Verona. Romeo wants to die beside his wife, so he buys poison and goes to Juliet s tomb. At the door of the tomb, Romeo fights and kills Count Paris.
The Deaths of Romeo and Juliet Inside the tomb, Romeo drinks the poison and dies next to Juliet. One minute later, Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo dead next to her. Friar Lawrence comes into the tomb and tells Juliet what has happened. Juliet takes Romeo s dagger and kills herself.
A Lesson Learned The Montagues and the Capulets learn a lesson from the deaths of their children. They agree to never fight again.